


2:47 AM

by hallwayperson



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Episode: s04e20 Small Potatoes, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 13:58:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11292084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hallwayperson/pseuds/hallwayperson
Summary: Fluff set right after Small Potatoes. Sort of a first date fic.





	2:47 AM

**Author's Note:**

> Fluff set right after Small Potatoes. Sort of a first date fic.

She planned it and unplanned it over and over again. She worried that she would seem too straightforward if she deliberately asked him out, and she worried that she’d cross their line. The line both of them had made in some sort of unspoken mutual understanding, when they’d started working together, the line they both had seemed to obliterate week after week, day after day, moment after moment. She had always prided herself in her ability to be professional at work, but lately it had been excruciatingly difficult, and now it kept her up at night too. She’d open the door to his office, see him, see his smile, and all she could think about was his lips. Specifically his lips on her lips. 

It certainly hadn’t helped their relationship in any way that she’d been exceptionally close to kissing who she believed to be him. Eddie Van Blundht. Just thinking about it still sent hot flashes to her head, like tiny burning needles prickling in her face. It embarrassed her immensely. Not the kiss that almost happened, but the fact that they hadn’t talked about it at all. She hadn’t even tried, but he hadn’t either, and she didn’t feel brave enough to make the first move. But she had waited weeks in vain - for him, for a sign, for anything. Yet nothing happened. She had to do something, something that would make her able to rest again at night, to stop all her worrying. Surely he had to feel the same way, even though he hadn’t made a move. It couldn’t all be in her head, although a good amount of it probably was. Restlessness slowly crept up on her and she could feel herself spiraling into thoughts of despair - again - and looked at the clock - again.

_2.17 AM._

She let out a loud sigh and turned to the other side and listened intently. A faint rumble of thunder in the distance and rain pouring down created a soothing lullaby just for her. Her mind wandered to a case they had been working on for a few weeks, which like all other things reminded her of him. It had become her own little painful game - to think of all kinds of random things during the day only to attach them to memories of him. And here she was once again, her every thought occupied by him as he had every night for weeks. Realizing she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight either, she sat up and stared out the window. It was so tempting to just grab the phone and reach out to him. The urge was close to impossible to resist, like a constant siren song telling her to _call him, call him, call him._ She knew he’d be awake. She’d spent countless nights on his leather couch watching old movies while discussing case files and whatnot, and it always felt like the most natural thing in the world. It only added to her confusion and frustration because, with him, she could be herself. Normally, she didn’t have to worry about anything, which made it harder to make sense of everything that had happened after Eddie Van Blundht. It made her question herself and her every move and motive. She desperately needed something to free her from the entanglement of her mind.

_2.47 AM._

Long shadows were dancing on the wall in the light of two candles shining brightly as she warmed her hands on a steaming cup of tea. The phone was resting on her lap. She had actually dialed his number once but hung up before going through with it. She had even considered opening a bottle of wine to gather enough courage to call him, but it reminded her only too much about the night that she desperately tried to forget.

_Dana Katherine Scully. Pull yourself together and call him. What’s the worst thing that could happen?_

She breathed in and out three times and with trembling hands dialed his number.

_Don’t pick up, don’t pick up, don’t pick up. The worst thing that could happen is that he doesn’t feel what I feel and I’m going to ruin our partnership… and I’ll embarrass myself._

Fear and shame came crashing down on her, and she felt stupid for calling him, but she simply couldn’t go back. If there was one thing she didn’t handle well, it was going back. Hanging up was out of question.   
  
“Scully, is everything okay?” Mulder said, his voice full of worry.

“Yeah, Mulder. I was just.. I mean.. It’s just.. Did I wake you?” she finally managed to ask.

“No, I couldn’t sleep. Are you sure you’re okay?” he said, sensing something wasn’t quite right. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I can’t sleep either. Are you tired?” she said, hoping with all her heart he would say something that would make everything easier, something that would right all the wrongs. 

“Do you want me to come over?” he asked gently, and she could hear him move around as if he was already leaving. 

“You don’t have to. It’s late and the rain…” 

“I’m on my way, Scully,” he said lovingly before she could finish her sentence.

She couldn’t even voice her thoughts on the phone. Frustrated with herself, tears formed in the corner of her eyes, and a solemn tear dropped down on her lap. She stopped herself from crying fully as anger slowly took over. It made her angry that she felt this way. It made her angry that she couldn’t tell him about her feelings for him, that he mattered. It made her angry that she had no control of anything and calling him had been a way of gaining control but she still felt little and unsure about her every move. She left her bed to splash cold water on her face. Luckily, her eyes didn’t reveal anything about her sudden moment of total and utter despair. She actually felt better when fear had turned to anger, and she managed to summon enough courage to make her living room look cozy with candles and a bottle of wine.

It had to be now or the moment would be lost forever. It had to be now because she couldn’t go back.

There was a soft knock on the door and she quickly ran her fingers through her hair. She had prepared fractions of a speech in her head, but only one thing came to mind when she opened the door and he was standing there in his soaking wet pyjamas and dripping hair.   
  
“Mulder, would you like to go on a date with me?” she said with a shaky voice, her eyes searching for her feet.

“Isn’t it a little late… or early?” he said with a smirk on his face while brushing her arm as he came in and walked towards her bathroom to fetch a towel as if he lived there.

“Well.. Are you hungry? I can make us some breakfast?” she said, already regretting blurting out her question so thoughtlessly. It was not even a part of the speech that she’d prepared. She closed the door and turned around to see him standing near the wine, drying his face with the towel.

“Scully, did you really call me to eat breakfast together?” he said puzzled, still smiling.

“No,” she said with her eyes closed, waiting for words to appear. She breathed in. “I called you because I wanted to do something that I should have done a long time ago.”

“What is that?” he said as he moved a bit closer, which made her unsteady on her feet.

“Well, we need to talk.. Do you want some coffee? Tea? Water? Wine?” she said as she headed to the kitchen and he followed.

“Oh no, am I in trouble? I feel like I should say wine but I must warn you - I’m no Eddie Van Blundht,” he said, as if he sensed where she was heading with everything.

“That’s exactly why we need to talk,” she said slightly tensed, still uncertain of how she’d continue.

“Are you leaving me, Scully?” he said jokingly with a sad expression on his face.

“Yes, I realized that I was tired of waiting, and Eddie Van Blundht simply swept me off my feet. Cute face too,” she said to tease him, clearly playing along while making coffee.

“You were waiting?” he said, intrigued.

“I was. _Was_. A woman gets tired of waiting, you know?” she said, trying to sound calm, confident, and collected.

“What were you waiting for?” he said, still moving closer.

“Who…,” she said breathlessly.

“Who… Who were you waiting for?” he asked her gently, his eyes following her every move.

“You, Mulder,” she finally said after a few moments of silence, getting it off her chest, hoping it would give her back her life again, hoping it would make her in control, hoping, daring him to make the next move.

He looked at her with his soothing, dark eyes and he was now close enough that she’d only have to reach out to touch him, to feel him on her fingertips. She didn’t move or say anything more than that. He didn’t either. He just looked at her, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was like any other night sharing his couch. It was as familiar as doing an autopsy but instead of knowing exactly how to proceed, here she was as lost as a needle in a haystack. But his eyes calmed her. They always did, which made it okay to be lost, as long as it was with him. It didn’t have to be complicated. He moved a bit closer almost obliterating the space between them and placed a hand on each side of her, caging her in.

“Ask me again, Scully,” he whispered close to her face, his breath making a few strands of her hair tickle her jaw.  

“About what?” she asked, feeling very self-conscious in this position.

“The thing you asked me when you opened the door…” he said holding her gaze.

“Oh, it’s… I didn’t.. It was.. I…”

“Ask me again, Scully,” he said persistently, still looking at her while she looked down only to look up again as she found herself staring at his crotch.

“Hmm…. Will you go out with me on a date?” she said, frustration coloring her question.

“Let’s go on a date right now, let’s eat breakfast,” he said, lifting up her chin to make her eyes meet his, his thumb gently brushing her cheek, following the curve to her soft lower lip.

“Can I try something first?” she said, leaning into his hand while feeling his hard chest on her palms.

She never got an answer, at least not an audible one. Sensing what was going on, he  leaned in for a tender kiss. It was not one of lust, nor of blazing love. It was about finally righting the wrongs, being able to rest again, being complete. No one said anything; they didn’t have to. They breathed each other in, forehead to forehead, while he tenderly caressed her neck. She hugged him tightly, resting her arms around his neck, placing soft kisses on his neck.  

“Do you want breakfast?” she said muffled, slightly afraid of ruining the moment.

“You mean this wasn’t breakfast?” he said, his normal, cheeky humor shining through.

“Well, as much as I enjoy this kind of breakfast, I did promise you a date and dates mean proper food,” she said although she didn’t want to let go of him.

“Sooo, wine and breakfast then?” he said, eyeing the wine bottle at the couch.

“Wine and breakfast,” she said with a smile, releasing him from their embrace.

_4.04 AM._

“Honestly Scully, drinking wine and having waffles at this hour might be my favorite date ever,” he said as he swallowed his last bite.

“It would be my favorite too but I must admit that I’m starting to worry a bit about work,” she said as she emptied her glass of wine.

“We’ll call in sick. Skinner’s been on my back for months trying to make me take a day off, so he’ll be pleased to know that I’m gone for the day. And I’ll let him know that you’re running a fever or something like that,” he said, already convinced about his own plan.

“Do you think he’ll buy it?” she said, questioning.

“Well, he has to because I’m in no shape to drive a car, which means you probably can’t even walk a straight line,” he said, clearly amused by the whole situation.

“I can. And I will. You’ll call Skinner and I’ll walk a straight line to the couch. I want to watch a movie,” she said as she slowly removed her legs from Mulder’s thigh where they had just rested.

_4.27 AM._

“When you said you wanted to watch a movie, I did not expect this!” Mulder said genuinely surprised as the familiar theme song from A New Hope filled the cozy living room. Skinner had assumedly bought their story and here they were on her couch sharing a blanket.

“It’s the greatest love story ever told. What’s not to like?” she said while smiling as she cuddled into his side, feeling his warm embrace.

“Ah yes, Luke and Leia,” he said as he chuckled, feeling a soft blow to his ribs. “Ouch!”

“Watch the movie, Mulder,” she said as she gently caressed the spot she had just hit, and silence took over. It was not uncomfortable - not even half way through the movie when none of them hadn’t said a thing. It was like any other day except they had kissed and it was all she could think about. His lips.  

_5.23 AM._

“I’ll be the Han to your Leia,” he suddenly said, breaking the long silence. She felt breathless, her eyes burning, and she could feel his muscles tense against her stomach.

“Shall we go to bed?” she asked, still feeling confident from the success of the night, but still hoping it wouldn’t be too much, hoping she hadn’t read him wrong.

“Are you tired?” he said as he lay his hand on top of hers.

“No,” she simply replied as she took his hand, got up, and headed for the bedroom, Mulder following closely behind her.


End file.
